A senior official in Poland announced on Wednesday (September 18) that Polish President Andrzej Duda may meet with Donald Trump in the battleground state of Pennsylvania in the United States on Sunday. This confirms a previous report by Reuters about the possibility of the two leaders meeting.
It is rare for foreign leaders to participate in campaign events with US presidential candidates. Pennsylvania is one of the key battleground states in the November 5th US presidential election, with a significant number of Polish-American voters.
The Polish official stated that Duda, a nationalist, had a close relationship with Trump during his presidency from 2017 to 2021. Duda is also scheduled to attend the unveiling ceremony of the Solidarity Monument, with Trump receiving an invitation to participate in the event, although it is uncertain if Trump will attend.
The unnamed Polish official told Reuters, “If President Trump attends, then the two of them will certainly have the opportunity to exchange a few words and discuss the most important issues.”
These issues include the relationship between Poland and the United States, Poland’s security, and the conflict in Ukraine.
Both Trump’s campaign team and Pennsylvania event organizers did not immediately respond to requests for comments from Reuters.
Eastern European Americans have become a voting bloc fiercely contested by Republican Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
During a debate in early September in Philadelphia, Harris mentioned Polish-Americans in Pennsylvania and implied that if Poland were attacked by Russia, Trump would not be a staunch defender of Poland.
Trump’s campaign team denied this claim, stating that only Trump could effectively negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Duda is a steadfast ally of Ukraine, advocating for a tough stance against Russia in Washington, a stance that differs from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another European right-wing leader with a close relationship with Trump.
Two unnamed sources had previously informed Reuters that Trump planned to appear in Pennsylvania on Sunday alongside Duda, but they emphasized that the details of their joint appearance had not been finalized.
One source mentioned that Trump and Duda were expected to visit a Polish-American Catholic site in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. Local media outlet LevittownNow.com was the first to report on the upcoming visit.
Malgorzata Paprocka, Chief of Staff at Duda’s office, later clarified that both Duda and Trump had received invitations from the organizers to attend the same event.
However, she stated, “I cannot confirm with 100% certainty whether President Trump will attend. We are the President’s office, not the organizers of this meeting.”
Trump and Duda, whose presidential term will end in 2025, consider each other as friends. Their last meeting was in April this year in New York.
Numerous world leaders are expected to arrive in New York in the coming days to participate in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
According to several sources, many foreign delegations have already been in contact with allies of the former president, attempting to establish connections with Trump or his foreign policy advisors.